Chapter 178

Chapter 178: Bad Habits Madame Jiang also frowned as she looked over. She had been hoping all along that He Pingping would give birth to a girl. If it were a boy, he would be the eldest son of the Second Branch. Old Madame Song, on the other hand, hoped for a boy. Her second son was still immature, and if he had a son, he would grow up. Everyone else in the courtyard looked over as well, though Cui Lingrong and Madam Li were merely curious—whether He Pingping gave birth to a boy or a girl had no bearing on their respective branches. "It's a boy!" the midwife said with a smile. "Congratulations, Old Madame, congratulations, Second Master. Concubine He has given birth to a boy—the eldest son of the Second Branch!" Old Madame Song's face lit up with joy, and she pressed her palms together. "Amitabha, the bodhisattva has blessed us. My son has finally been gifted a son. Rewards—everyone who served today shall be rewarded!" Old Madame Song could hardly wait to see her grandson, but the room had not yet been cleaned. Seeing her son emerge after changing his clothes, she quickly said with a smile, "Shucheng, you have a son! You finally have a son!" Song Shucheng was more than half sober now. Upon hearing that He Pingping had given him a son, he was instantly overjoyed. "I have a son! I actually have a son! I finally have a son!" Only at this moment did Song Shucheng think to ask about He Pingping and the child. The midwife said the ger had been born prematurely and was somewhat frail. "He Pingping also went through a great ordeal and will need a long time to recover." "No matter—our marquis mansion is vast and wealthy. We can afford to support them!" Even now, Song Shucheng had not realized that his earlier behavior had already chilled Cui Lingrong's heart. As for the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion's assets, they were not enough for him to squander, let alone cover the debts he had accumulated over this period. Old Madame Song was also immersed in joy. Mother and son went inside together. He Pingping, upon learning she had given birth to a son, fell into a deep sleep. In the courtyard, Madame Jiang's hands, resting on her knees, slowly clenched into fists. She turned and left without looking back, her attendants following. That was He Pingping and Song Shucheng's son—not hers. Madam Li and Cui Lingrong exchanged a glance, then walked out together. "Second Sister-in-law must be feeling terrible inside this time," Madam Li said. It was getting late. The two walked under the glow of the setting sun. Cui Lingrong looked up and could only see the edge of the sun. "She's made progress—she managed to hold her composure until now." "Yes. Ever since Second Sister-in-law became pregnant, the child in her womb was what mattered most. As for Concubine He's son, how could he compare to hers?" Madam Li sighed. "But I heard from Third Master that Second Master seems to owe quite a lot of money. Once, when the brothers went out, they ran into a creditor demanding repayment. Though Second Master pulled the man aside, Third Master overheard a few words—it seems Second Master has been gambling at a gambling house." Originally, Third Master had told Madam Li not to speak of this to anyone, lest the trouble spread and implicate the Third Branch. Better to pretend not to know. But just now, with Second Master arguing with Eldest Sister-in-law, Madam Li thought it over and decided it was best to extend goodwill to Eldest Sister-in-law. Second Master had been an official for years with no ambition whatsoever. Now he owed money to gambling houses and courtesan houses—clearly a good-for-nothing. Madam Li weighed things in her heart and concluded that in the future, the marquis mansion would have to rely on the Eldest Branch to get by. "Gambling house?" Cui Lingrong frowned. This was something she truly hadn't heard about. "Yes. As for the specifics, we don't know either. Eldest Sister-in-law understands—Third Master and I don't want to invite trouble." Madam Li gave a faint smile. She had a delicate appearance, kept a low profile, and was unassuming in looks. Combined with her ability to endure and swallow her pride, she had managed to stay out of the marquis mansion's disputes. "I understand. Thank you for telling me." Cui Lingrong parted ways with Madam Li at the intersection. Strictly speaking, this was the Second Branch's affair and none of Cui Lingrong's concern. But the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion had not yet been divided among the branches. If Song Shucheng owed that much money, in the end, the marquis mansion would have to step in and clean up the mess. And now that Song Shulan was in such a state, the ones in charge of the marquis mansion were Cui Lingrong and Old Madame Song. If real trouble arose, given Old Madame Song's nature, she would surely push Cui Lingrong forward to resolve it. After returning, Cui Lingrong sent Er Shun to investigate where Song Shucheng had been spending money these past days. "If there are any accounts extended on credit, tell them that anything over fifty taels will not be covered by the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. Let them think carefully before extending credit to Song Shucheng again." As soon as Er Shun left, Nanny Qiu said, "If the Eldest Young Madam does this, Second Master will likely fly into a rage. With his temperament, he'll pester you." "It's fine. I'll go see the Marquis." Cui Lingrong picked up the medicine and went to find Song Shulan. When she saw Song Shulan, Cui Lingrong opened her mouth to speak several times but hesitated. "If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you hemming and hawing?" Song Shulan asked. "I'm afraid it might affect your health, so I wasn't sure whether I should say it." "If you have something to say, say it. If you don't, I'll only overthink it more." After several days of reflection, Song Shulan had no choice but to accept reality. He kept consoling himself—at least he had two sons, so he needn't worry about his bloodline dying out. Only then did Cui Lingrong tell him about Song Shucheng. "I only just learned of it, but Third Master doesn't know the specifics either, so I sent Er Shun to look into it. If Second Master truly went to a gambling house, I think..." "That good-for-nothing!" Before Cui Lingrong could finish, Song Shulan roared, "I've worked so hard to build up our reputation, and he goes to a gambling den? Go fetch him right now—I'll beat him to death!" Cui Lingrong urged Song Shulan to calm down. "This was told to me by Madam Li. If you send someone to fetch Second Master now, wouldn't that worsen the rift between the brothers? In my view, let Er Shun investigate thoroughly first. By then, your health will have improved a bit, and you can make a proper decision." Song Shulan's chest heaved up and down. Being forced to lie in bed was already unbearable enough, and now learning that his younger brother had fallen into the vice of gambling made it impossible for him to swallow his anger. "They say the eldest brother is like a father. Now that Second Master has strayed from the right path, you cannot afford to be soft-hearted, Marquis. Old Madame dotes on Second Master and will surely try to stop you from punishing him. You need to think carefully about how to handle this—otherwise, a thousand-mile dike can collapse from an ant hole. You've worked so hard to give the Marquis Estate a fresh start; you can't let it all be ruined by Second Master's hands." Cui Lingrong emphasized this repeatedly. She knew Song Shulan cared most about the Marquis Estate. As long as it involved the estate, Song Shulan would not go easy on Song Shucheng. "What about Qingshan? Have Qingshan investigate too!" Song Shulan wanted his own people to look into it as well. He called Qingshan in. "You follow Second Master. If he enters a gambling house, don't bother discussing it—just tie him up and bring him back!" Song Shulan was in a fit of rage and didn't think to spare his younger brother any face. "I thought that becoming a father would make him more sensible, but he's still gambling!" Cui Lingrong had achieved her goal. She listened quietly as Song Shulan cursed a few more times, then used the excuse of having matters to attend to and took her leave. On the other side, in the Second Branch's quarters, Song Shucheng and Old Madame Song had barely enjoyed their happiness for a moment before their smiles faded. Because the newly born Fifth Young Master was in poor health—he choked on his milk after just a couple of sips. The wet nurse had to feed him with great care, and his cries were as faint as a kitten's, hardly the signs of a child destined for a long life. Old Madame Song called the physician before her and questioned him again and again. "In response to Old Madame, I cannot give a guarantee on such matters. But as long as Fifth Young Master can eat, that's a good sign. If he's raised with meticulous care until the age of ten, there should be no further worry," said the physician. Hearing this, Old Madame Song knitted her brows tightly. If her grandson was frail, how could he study and earn an official rank? But since the physician said he could still be raised to health, she could only sigh and have someone follow the physician to fetch the medicine. Song Shucheng, however, said, "Mother, don't worry too much. My son will surely be blessed by heaven. And as long as I'm capable, there will be more healthy children in the future." "This is your eldest son—how can it be the same?" Old Madame Song saw that her son didn't take it seriously and spoke earnestly, "You have a child now. You can't fool around like before. Put your mind toward your official career, do you understand?" "Isn't it enough that Eldest Brother works hard for the Marquis Estate? No matter how desperately I try, I could never reach the rank of First-Rank Official. Why exhaust myself for nothing?" Song Shucheng didn't like hearing these lectures, but to keep his mother from scolding him further, he changed his tune. "Alright, alright, I know all of it, Mother. Starting tomorrow, I'll work hard." "That's more like it." Old Madame Song now hoped that Madame Jiang would give birth to a healthy grandson. As for Fifth Young Master, everything was up to heaven's will. Song Shucheng accompanied Old Madame back to Shouan Tang and coaxed her into giving him two thousand taels of her private savings. With money in hand, he wanted to go win back his losses—after all, he owed so much debt, how else would he repay it? Thinking that today was his son's birthday and that it might bring him good luck, he happily took the money and headed to the gambling den.